All Blog Posts (46)

People in this age group have gone through many incarnations. They have been through the swinging sixties when the birth pill was first available, which changed the way we view sex and marriage. They have lived through several wars taking place around the globe as activists: protesting in public, Banning the Bomb and in the case of Greenham Common, helped to stop nuclear weapons proliferating.
This is the generation that won equality for women, raising the profile of injustice - all the… Continue

A new charitable…

It is always interesting to see how individuals describe themselves. Finding ways to interact with individuals in their own terms is key to a more balanced (also I argue efficient and effective) engagement between government and citizens.…

While we all recognise that truly representative public services must reflect the make-up of modern society and incorporate the skills, experience and commitment of people from all walks of life, many of the people who could make an important contribution simply don’t know how to get involved, or, if they do
know how, they think ‘it’s not for me’. That’s why, in June 2009, the
Government Equalities Office and Cabinet…

The Downing Street Project is one year old. With the UK on the brink of an
election, our dream of lining up 100 new women to stand seems far away. Despite
plenty of excellent candidates, the eye of the needle is selection at party
level. There are more women short-listed, but very few that are chosen to run
for winnable seats – even where the local selectors are largely women. Why? At
the current rate of…Continue

It's about time that you had a bit of an update from The Downing Street Project. After much soul searching and discussion with loved ones, I have decided to move on from the Downing Street Project and leave it in the capable hands of Indra Adnan.

I had the initial idea for DSP two years ago, inspired by the White House Project, to train women to run for public office in the UK as that is what I believed was the…

Many people have asked how to get the information necessary to start to think about becoming an MP. Here is a start at answering some of the most frequesntly asked questions.

What exactly is an MP?

The UK public elects Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent their interests and concerns in the House of Commons. MPs are involved in considering and proposing new laws, and can use their position to ask government ministers…

British Government not backing UK Women for CEDAW Vacancies and the new UN Super-Agency For Women

Further to the response by Michael Foster to written Questions in the Commons from the MP Jo Swinson (see below at ‘Questions tabled and answered in the House of Commons’), the eminent human rights and equal opportunities Queen’s Counsel Lord Lester plans to table the following Questions in the Upper House:

Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what… Continue

Brighton is set to hold what is believed to be the first all-female parliamentary election ever in Britain.

The milestone has been reached after the Liberal Democrats revealed Andrew Falconer, their original candidate for the Brighton Pavilion constituency, had pulled out and would be replaced by one of a shortlist of four women.

So, as I look at the election approaching, probably on May 6th, I wonder what stops your average women on the street from wanting to stand as an MP. I know for me there a load of things that put me off. The notion of my entire life being trawled through and serialised in the Daily Mail, the never ending comments about my face/hair/teeth/shoes, the disparaging analysis of my every word or worse still, a complete disregard for my existence as a candidate at all. That's assuming that I can decide… Continue

BBC's Caludine Parrishn produced a great program on why we need more women in leadership. I've just caught the last couple of minutes of it on BBC World News. It was a beautifully crafted show. I don't know what was its title but someone with links to BBC could get in touch with them and try to get a copy of the program. It would be great to re-use in various actions and contexts of DSP.

The program featured students of the London Business School, organized into a male-only and a… Continue

Last week I had the good fortune to be in New York at the same time as one of the White House Project WOLF information events. Julie Gilbert and Marie Wilson kindly said that I could come along, to observe and see how where they are with their work can inform what The Downing Street Project is doing in its early and stumbling stages.

I took copious notes and thought I’d outline them here to give you a sense of what Marie Wilson was sharing about The White House Project, why it was… Continue

These commandments will be presented to all MPs and PPCs. Over the next few months and beyond the General Election, we will monitor the impact of these 10 Commandments to see if the actions of MPs live up to the standards that have been set. Our goal is to make a small contribution to making politics more open and… Continue